Chaos and Chemistry
by snapeathy
Summary: The war is over and students are returning to Hogwarts, but what will happen when the cramped conditions force Draco and Ron to share a room? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

AN: Me and my Beta are doing another challenge. We made a list of requirements for our next story, and the person who follows the summary best and uses the most extras wins a dessert. Here's hoping I win.

My Beta's story is A Bad FoeMance. Since were both using the same story summary, it'll be interesting to see how different or similar the two stories are!

* * *

><p>The infamous Battle of Hogwarts left the ancient Scottish castle battered, scarred, and broken, but with a bit of hard work, determination, and a veritable army of volunteers, the old school was ready to open its doors again by September, 1999. Unfortunately, due to the dictatorial rule of the now dead Dark Lord, Hogwarts was more packed than ever. All the muggle-borns and 'blood-traitors' that had been forbidden from attending a public wizarding school, and all those who choose to stay away from the school during Voldemort's reign, were now returning a year behind their age. As a result, a fifth of every year in every house was being asked to volunteer to join a new club which would serve as a sort of temporary fifth house to keep things from getting too crowded.<p>

Members of the new club known as Everlux would still keep their original alumni, so points and quidditch teams would still be all the same, but Everlux students would sleep, and study with each other to make room for all the extra students in the four main houses. Even the uniforms would remain relatively the same, except that the house crests on their school robes would be replaced by a white phoenix to help give the club some identity and union.

()()()

After the war was over, Ronald Weasley wasn't really interested in going back to school. He had already been offered a job with his brother George to help out with the shop, but Hermione was nothing if not persistent.

Harry wasn't being much of a help either. "It's just one more year, Ron."

"Exactly. We've already come this far. It would be stupid not to finish school now." Hermione was getting increasingly frustrated at Ron's stubbornness, but Ron was just getting angrier.

"Oh, so now I'm stupid?"

"That's not what she meant."

"You so sure about that?"

Harry wasn't sure about anything anymore when it came to Ron and Hermione. Ever since the war ended and Hermione kept making plans for Ron and going on about their future together, the more distant and grumpier Ron became. Nowadays, all they ever seemed to do was fight. "Well, I mean, I don't think so."

"Harry!" Hermione looked deeply offended.

Harry only shrugged.

"I didn't mean it that way. I only meant that we're so close, and a diploma can make a big difference in someone's life."

"Yeah I guess, I dunno. Just let me think about it by myself, ok?"

Hermione sighed, "Alright, common Harry."

But instead of following, Harry lingered by his friend awkwardly. "Actually, there's a little something I needed to talk to Ron about, you know, just us guys."

Even though she rolled her eyes, Hermione left the two boys alone to talk.

Ron looked at Harry suspiciously. "So what's up?"

He ran a hand through his mop of hair. "I afraid I'm gonna have to side with Hermione on this one. I really think you should come back with us and finish school."

"I know." Ron poutingly folded his freckle covered arms. "Don't tell Hermione, but so do I."

Harry could only shake his head and laugh. "Then why have we spent all this time arguing about it?"

"Because I don't want to go back just because Hermione told me to. I'm going mad with her ordering me around all the time. I want to go back to school, but I want to do it on my own terms."

"I completely understand, mate, whatever you decide. Just know that I'm behind you one hundred percent."

Ron could help but smile. "Thanks, mate."

()()()

"I'm not angry that you volunteered to help out the school, I just wish you had told Harry and me so we could have volunteered too." Hermione bounced furiously as she walked, her hair bounding in angry, frizzy curls.

On the outside, Ron was all apologies, but on the inside Ron wasn't sorry at all. He was glad that he would have his own place to hide from Hurricane Hermione when he needed to and really it would be nice to have a change in scenery for once.

As an Everlux Ron would be staying in a new wing of the castle that existed only within the Room of Requirement. Like any of the other houses it had its own common room and two main dormitories: one for the boys, and one for the girls. But much to everyone's surprise, each dorm room was set up so that each of the four four-poster beds were designated for each of the four houses.

"There couldn't possibly be that many Slytherins needing to repeat a year." Ron flopped onto his bed, felling sort of uncomfortable to be sharing a room with people his barely knew.

"Even if there are, I don't think they should have lumped us all together like this." The Hufflepuff Ron was sharing quarters with was fairly short with sandy brown hair. He had a sort of innocent look to him, but Ron had a sneaky suspicion he was tougher than he was letting on.

"Yeah, I mean, no offence to the two of you, but they should have kept the houses together." The third boy, who Ron couldn't remember ever seeing before, was a Ravenclaw with chocolate brown skin and an almost pompous air about him.

Ron nodded. "I agree."

"Me too."

"Same here."

No one had expected a fourth voice to sound off, and everyone turned to see which of the slimy Slytherins they had been stuck with.

Draco Malfoy stood proud and tall in the doorway of the little room, completely unfazed by the reception of heated glares.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ron was absolutely livid. What was the point of getting away from Hermione if he was going to be forced to share a room with Malfoy?

"The same thing you're doing, Weasley, trying to finish my education." Draco tried his best to remain calm in spite of his uncomfortable circumstances and walked over to his trunk to make sure no one had tried to open it.

The Ravenclaw, whose name Ron still didn't know, folded his arms skeptically. "I never would have thought _you_ would have volunteered to join Everlux."

"I didn't, none of the Slytherins did, but since no one volunteered the Headmistress was forced to pull out students at random, supposedly, and I was one of the names she pulled."

"Well you're not staying here."

Draco glared, losing some of his precious composure the way he usually did around Ron. "It's out of my hands, Wea-" Then a flash of light streaked through the open doorway and sent Malfoy flying threw the curtain of his bed.

Standing just outside the bedroom was a furious looking Everlux-Gryffindor whom Ron knew had fought and lost his best friend in the last battle with Voldemort. "That was from Neal Randall, and this," he raised his wand again, "this is from me."

Draco bounded back to his feet and drew his wand just in time to reflect the oncoming curse. The duel between the two eighth years was sudden and fierce forcing the room's other residence to duck and cover.

Ron however, not being one to lie down in a fight, decided to help out his fellow Gryffindor. Besides, watching Malfoy get pummeled would be a great way to start the year. "Expelliarmus!" But to Ron's surprise, Malfoy managed to hold on to his wand despite his arm being yanked back from the force of the spell.

Draco barely managed to swing his arm back to block the next hex against him, but when Ron tried disarming him again he almost lost his wand. "Stop doing that!" Unfortunately, Draco's break of concentration left him unguarded, and the boy from the doorway landed another devastating blow.

Ron watched as Malfoy fell to the floor with an agonizing shriek. The pure-blood's skin gradually turned a rosy shade of red while little white bumps began blossoming all over his face and hands. At first Ron thought it was one of those spells only first years used in fights that covered their victims in large, hideous pimples, but as Draco's skin continued to darken and even began to split, Ron realized he wasn't breaking out in pimples at all. He was being burned.

"Merlin, Jack, stop it!" Ron knew the Gryffindor, albeit not well, but he never thought one of his own could hurt somebody like that. Even if that somebody was Malfoy.

Jack looked up, but his wand didn't waiver as Draco writhed under his power and instead of looking ashamed of what he was doing, he grinned.

Suddenly Ron didn't care who was hurting who anymore. He wasn't about to stand by and let someone get tortured like that, so he raised his wand again and blasted the other Gryffindor out of the room. Then he turned to his roommates and pointed authoritatively at the Hufflepuff. "You go fetch Madam Pomfrey, and you go get Professor McGonagall. She needs to know about what's happened."

The Hufflepuff looked glad to help out and ran out of the room, but the Ravenclaw only frowned, arms still folded. "Why should I? Malfoy deserved what he got."

"Just do it." Ron's patience was running out faster by the minute.

The Ravenclaw rolled his eyes, "Fine" but wandered out of the room to go and fetch the Headmistress.

()()()

After about a week, Malfoy was released from the hospital wing with only small patches of red irritated skin remaining from his injuries. Jack, the vengeful Gryffindor, was expelled for the attack, and the rest of the student body was impressively threatened by McGonagall that worse things would happen to anyone who tried to repeat the incident.

What surprised Ron most, however, was how Malfoy reacted to the whole thing. From what he could tell, Draco never wrote his father about what happened, and ignored the obvious soreness in his hands when he worked. Considering how Draco used to turn a splinter into a mountain of pity, it was a fairly impressive show of how much Draco had really changed.

Maybe, Ron thought as the platinum haired git slept in the four-poster beside his, if they could just ignore each other for the rest of the year, it wouldn't be so bad sharing a room with a Slytherin after all.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Sorry for the long wait. Got laid off and my time is being spent on more important things. I will finish this, but it may go slow.

* * *

><p>Ignoring Draco, however, proved to be impossible, but not as bad as Ron would have thought. Most of the time, Draco did his best to keep to himself and focus on his studying, but as more people tried to single him out, the more he seemed to hang around Ron. As the only ex-Death Eater on campus, there were a lot of bad feelings venting Draco's way and Ron supposed his helping Draco out on the first day made the Slytherin feel safer around him.<p>

"Would you please stop following me?"

"I'm not following you, we just happen to be headed in the same direction. I mean really, we have the same classes."

"Yeah I know, but you don't have to walk right next to me."

Draco only responded with an eye roll and a sneer.

Potions that day were with Gryffindor and Ron was looking forward to meeting up with Harry. Once he made it to the old dungeon he ran over and sat next to his best mate.

"Hey Hermione."

Hermione smiled. "Well, good morning. Nice of you to grace us with your presence again."

Ron laughed. It was good to be back with the old gang again. He never thought he would miss them as much as he did after such a short time, but as he glanced over to the rest of the Everlux eighth years who weren't lucky enough to have their own houses to sit with he couldn't help but feel right at home.

Near the top of the Everlux side, Ron spotted Draco sitting in the middle of a small group of Everlux-Slytherins looking morose and distant.

Harry nudged Ron in the ribs. "What's with the prince of darkness?"

"Who?"

"Malfoy."

"Oh, Draco? Nothing, he's just pouting 'cause I won't sit with him." He chortled to himself at the irony of the situation, then noticed his two friends looking startled and confused. "What?"

"Draco? You two on a first name basis now?"

"And why on earth would he want to sit with you?"

Ron grinned. "Hell, Hermione, you say that like sitting with me is a terrible thing."

Hermione would have come back with a clever retort, but class started and she wasn't about to interrupt the teacher and she was reluctantly forced to turn her attention to her classwork. After class was over, however, she was all questions again. "So what's going on between you two?"

"I dunno, I guess since I was the one who helped him out that one time he feels safer with me around."

Harry bumped into him playfully as they walked out of the smoking classroom where a number of the advanced potions had gone wrong. "That's hilarious."

"I know."

"It was really nice what you did for him though."

Ron shrugged, but couldn't help but smile at any praise he got from Hermione. "I guess you could say he owes me one."

"Well," she beamed up at him, glad to be getting along so well again, "I think it shows a great deal of maturity."

"And I think it shows a great deal of stupidity."

The trio turned around to find the owner of the snide voice and spotted Draco walking up to them.

Ron frowned. "What are you talking about? If I hadn't stepped in -"

"I would have never gotten hurt in the first place."

Ron folded his arms and leaned over the shorter man defensively. "Now wait just a minute -"

Draco leaned right back into him, having never been one to back down from an argument, and jabbed him in the chest with an accusing finger. "If you hadn't been so set on interfering and trying to disarm me in the middle of a duel that had nothing to do with you, I would have never been hit by that hex."

"Well," Ron stood upright again, "well, I didn't know he was going to hurt you like he did. But I did help!"

"Yes, helped me right into the fire."

"Oh yeah, well if I'm such a nuisance, why have you been following me around like some kind of lost puppy for the past three weeks?"

"I've been looking for a fireplace to push you in and return the favor!"

"Boys!" Hermione pushed her way in between them. "This is no way for eighth years to act. We're supposed to be examples to the younger students."

"Oh, shut up Granger, nobody was talking to you!"

"Don't you talk to her that way!" Ron, red-faced and furious, grabbed Draco by the lapel and hit him as hard as he could.

In the blink of an eye, a crowd had gathered around the brawling pair, Harry had pulled Hermione out of the fray in just the nick of time, and a pair of Professors were pushing their way through the mass of cheering teenagers.

()()()

The disapproving look on Minerva McGonagall's face was almost enough to make the two boys regret the fight they had gotten into. Almost.

"I cannot believe the two of you. I would have thought, after all we went through, that the two of you might have finally learned how to act like a pair of human beings."

Draco and Ron looked down at their feet, which was easy to do as their feet were directly in front of them. During the fight, they had somehow moved towards the steps leading further down to Slytherin house and tumbled roughly down them. Now they were confined to the hospital wing while Pomphrey patched them up.

"I expected more, though I don't know why." Minerva pressed her lips irritably. "I have no choice but to take twenty points from each of you."

"Twenty?" But as the headmistress looked down at him, Ron didn't dare say more.

"Now, I've asked Mdm. Pomphrey to keep you in here for the rest of the day to teach the two of you a lesson."

At this Draco sat upright in his bed. "But, Headmistress, I've missed so many classes already. Can't I just get a detention?"

"Your enthusiasm for study is noted and appreciated, Malfoy, but your enthusiasm for getting into fights is not."

"But -"

"My mind is made up." She gave the two of them one more warning look before walking away and letting their visitors enter the room.

A gang of Slytherins, a far larger crowd than usually showed Malfoy their support, came in to see Draco while a more diverse crowd came in to see Ron. Amusingly, the heated glares from the hospital guests were ten times more heated than the passive glances Draco and Ron gave each other and after only fifteen minutes, Mdm. Pomphrey tossed the visitors out and left the boys alone.

Two hours of staring out the large windows and avoiding eye contact with each other later, Draco finally broke. Earlier, when the two of them had been allowed visitors, Harry had brought Ron his old chess board and his and Ron's chess pieces in hopes of playing over lunch, but with all the other people crowding around the two beds it had proved impossible.

Draco gingerly got up out of bed and pulled up a chair. "I've heard you play a decent game."

"You play?"

"Of course I play." He pulled up Ron's side table and tossed the board on top.

Ron shrugged. "Ok, but I'm just going to kick your ass again."

"Hm. Well if you play as well as you fight this should be another easy victory for me." Draco set up Harry's pieces with complete civility as Ron set up his own. "White goes first," and he made the first move.

The game was hardly started when the two of them were dismissed for dinner and they were forced to very carefully carry the board up to their common room and into the bedroom where they placed it on the side table between their four poster beds. Even then, the boys had a hard time walking away from it.

Ron never knew Draco was such a passionate chess player, nor would he have guessed he would have been as good as he was, and as the days began to pass him by, all Ron could think about was the chess board and Draco Malfoy.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry again for the long wait. Still looking for a job. Hope you like. XD

* * *

><p>Soon, beating Draco at a simple game of chess was the <em>only<em> thing Ron cared about and it drove him crazy that Draco insisted on finishing his schoolwork and actually wasted time _studying_ for their exams.

"Come on, Malfoy, it's your turn." Ron paced up and down their dormitory in frustration while Malfoy did his best to ignore him and concentrate on his Potions essay.

"Maybe you should do your work and leave me to do mine."

"I will after you make your move."

"Liar. You know, some of us actually care about getting decent grades on their assignments and passing their classes."

"Merlin, you're really starting to sound like Hermione."

"No need to start throwing around trashy insults, Weasley."

Ron stopped pacing and glared at the platinum haired boy, but didn't say anything more and begrudgingly sat down and took out his own work.

It was only after an entire afternoon of Potions and Transfiguration work that both boys were ready for some relaxation and Draco was finally ready to return to their chess game. He put his school things away and faced the board that was still stationed between their two beds and studied the board intently for a moment more before instructing his rook to take Ron's second and final bishop.

"There, I moved."

Ron stared contemplatively at the board. Having only the queen now who could move more than one space in a diagonal made the game more challenging, and to Ron, more fun.

"Your turn Weasley."

"I know."

"Well aren't you going to make your move?" Draco derived a certain pleasure from hounding the redhead while he was trying to concentrate. It always managed to get a bit of a rise out of him, and Draco loved how quickly his face could redden.

"I'll move when I'm good and ready."

"Well, when is that going to be?"

Ron looked up, starting to get agitated now, cheeks only the slightest shade of crimson. "Can you please shut it? I don't harass you like this when you're trying to think."

Draco grinned, and feeling somewhat playful after hours of hard work, leaned over the table making it and the remaining chess pieces wobble dangerously. "You… are such… a hypocrite."

Ron frowned even though he knew Draco was right and hovered over the chess board like a dragon guarding her eggs. "Knock it off. You're gonna knock something over."

The Slytherin pulled back and released the table, chuckling softly to himself, and with an amused smile on his face he plopped back onto his bead and settled against his headboard with an open book.

Ron really didn't understand the shorter boy most of the time and after all the hours they had just spent being forced to read up for school, Ron couldn't understand how he could read anything purely for the fun of it.

()()()

The game finally ended that night with Ron whooping victoriously around the room while John the Hufflepuff had a good laugh at Draco's expense.

"No need to make such a big deal out of it. You were just lucky, that's all."

"Lucky? Lucky? I had a king and three pawns left and I _mutilated_ your defensive line."

"Only because I was distracted by Eric's … woman drama." Draco, becoming increasingly irritated by Ron's gloating, motioned dramatically in the brooding Ravenclaw's direction.

Eric, who was the only other person in the room who wasn't having a grand time, shot up and stomped towards Draco's emerald bed and pointed his finger menacingly at Draco's pointed nose. "I don't need you belittling my situation. My woman just dumped me. I'm allowed to be a little upset."

Draco only rolled his eyes and slapped his hand away, completely unfazed by the other man's hurt feelings. "Well, perhaps if you didn't constantly refer to her as 'your woman,' maybe you wouldn't be having these problems."

"What do you know about it? Really, where do you get off giving me advice? I don't see you having any luck with the girls around here."

"That's only because I'm not interested in finding another girlfriend at the moment."

John immediately broke into a quiet laughter which he tried and failed to muffle with his hands.

This took Draco a little by surprise as he and John normally got on pretty well. "What's so funny?"

"Ah, come on Draco. No one is ever not interested in getting a girl."

"And you're not exactly popular anymore are you?" Eric, being only slightly more self-absorbed than Draco was, was always happy to join in on putting the Slytherin down.

Draco frowned feeling more aggravated with his roommates that he had in weeks. Mostly he was annoyed by John taking Eric's side, but then he realized that Ron had yet to make any snide comments. He turned his gaze to the one person in the room who should have been jumping at the chance to insult him, but who for some reason, wasn't. "Your being awfully quiet, Weasley."

Ron smiled, still high off of beating the pants off of Malfoy, then laughed and threw himself down on his bed. "Well, no one's tried to kill you in a while, so that's a good sign that you're not as _un_popular as you were, but that was a pretty pathetic excuse."

"That hurts. Honestly. But I am forced to disagree."

Eric tried to smile in an intimidating fashion, but he wasn't half as good at it as Malfoy was. "You just can't admit that the girls don't want you."

Draco looked over the top of the book he'd picked up to read in an attempt to end the conversation, and the mere intensity of his gaze was enough to wipe the blue clad student's smile clean off. "You seem so sure about that." He put the book down beside him on his bed and smiled. "Alright. Less make a wager of it, shall we? You name the girl, and I bet I can get her to go out with me by the end of a week."

Ron burst out laughing. "You can't be serious."

"Dead serious." And by the look of him, he was.

"Well, as much as I would love to rub your nose in it, I'm not betting money with you."

"Then we won't use money."

John seemed more interested in the wager now. "Then what? Shall we exchange homework?"

Eric scoffed. "I doubt any of you are up to my standard of work."

"Oh please, I don't see you getting any better marks than I do."

"Yeah." Eric's stuffy attitude was really starting to get on Ron's nerves. "John never gets anything but O's and you know it."

"Yeah."

"So it's settled than." Draco grinned. "The looser does the homework for the winner… for a week."

"A week?"

"Yes, I would do a week's worth for each of you, and each of you will do a week's worth for me."

There was a moment of silence as each of the three opponents considered their position and the way they figured it, a week's worth of extra work would be worth risking if they could watch Draco make a fool of himself.

Erik spoke up first. "Alright, alright. And we get to pick the girl?"

"Yes, and I think I shall retire with my book now to another room so that the three of you can pick out my next date. Oh, and no ugly women. It has to be someone worth the effort, you know, someone you three would want to go out with… evening." And with that, Draco left his roommates to plot and plan.

()()()

The next day was comprised of one beautiful gloat after another for Ron and his gang. There was no way Draco was going to be able to woo the girl they had selected. It was impossible, and the week of no homework was only going to be sweeter knowing that Draco would be doing all the work for him.

Ron partnered up with Draco in every class they had, pestering him about when he was going make his seductive move. Surprisingly, after the initial shock of who he was going to have to woo wore off, Draco took the news much better than Ron had expected. In fact, Draco was just full of surprised this year. He even managed to make Ron laugh by the time they were in their third class, and he found himself actually enjoying the company of the man he once considered his blood enemy.

Ron looked around while Draco cut up their potion ingredients and spotted the unfortunate lady Draco was going to ask out. "So, how're you gonna go about it?"

"None of your business, Weasley. Now, stop standing there like an idiot and help me with this."

"Alright, alright, Mr. Bossy." Draco handed him some silvery looking scales to grind up in their pestle and Ron obediently set to work. Slughorn, who was still acting as Potions Master and head of Slytherin House, walked around the room and smiled at their work as he passed by.

"So… what's it feel like to make it into the Slug Club?"

"Oh… well, it's no big deal. Honestly." Though, to Ron it really had been a big deal when Slughorn approached him on the first day of school and invited him to join his little group. It was nice to be recognized for once, Ron supposed, but nothing really came of it until now. It had been announced at the beginning of class that the first Slug Club party would be held the day after the winter holidays. Ron hadn't thought much about it, but for some reason, Draco seemed overly annoyed that he still hadn't made the cut. He didn't know why, but Ron just couldn't bring himself to rub it in. "I doubt it'll be anything too impressive."

"Probably not." But Draco knew better. The Slug Club, as stupid as it was, could still be an excellent way to get back into the good graces of some of the more elite and Slughorn's parties always displayed an impressive guest list. Impressive for someone of Slughorn's standing anyway.

Ron couldn't keep himself from smiling as Draco pouted and finished cutting up his roots.

"But it would still be more entertaining than being stuck with Eric for the evening."

"Well, you could always ask Hermione to take you."

"That's a bit more than a week's worth away." The two of them looked over at where Hermione and Harry were sitting while Harry and Hermione were busy peeking back at the two of them.

Ron flashed them a smile not understanding their looks of confusion.

"Though, truth be told," he slid Ron's crushed scales into their simmering cauldron, "I'd rather go with you."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Sorry about the long break guys! Getting laid off changes your priorities, but now things have settled down and I'm gonna try to get my beta back into the habit of writing this thing again.

* * *

><p>"Wha?" Ron whirled around to face Malfoy so quickly that he knocked over their vile of mysterious dark blue liquid into what had been their perfect concoction.<p>

"WATCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING, WEASLEY!" But it was too late.

As the cauldron foamed green sticky slime all over their desk and onto the floor Ron hurriedly tried to prevent the goo from reaching the other ingredients, but only succeeded in knocking over a bag of dried flubberworm powder which immediately burst into black flames on contact with the seething foam.

"Stop, stop! You're just making it worse!" Draco pushed Ron away from the table, coughing and choking on the heavy fumes. He grabbed a set of goggles from under the desk and ducked back into the thick smoke. "Damn it! The goggles! They do nothing!" He squinted his watering eyes and cleaned up the mess with a single woosh of his wand leaving only the smell of sulfur and a cloud of residual smoke. Angrily, he threw the worthless goggles aside. "Honestly, what were you thinking trying to clean that up with your bare hands!"

"I was just trying to help!"

"Well, for heaven's sake, a wizard should know better! Who knows what that mess could have done? You could have permanently damaged your hands." Draco used his pinchers to grab the green soaked cloth from Ron's right hand and tossed it into their empty caldron, "Idiot," and without even thinking, he grabbed his own scrap cloth and carefully wiped the remaining residue off Ron's reddening hands.

"Draco…"

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

He paused. "Cleaning up the last bit of _your_ mess. You're welcome, by the way, and … are you blushing?"

Ron didn't take his hands away from Draco's. Partially because he didn't want to, but also because he wanted to see how long Draco planned on holding them. "No…are you?"

"N-No…" Coming back to himself at last, Draco dropped his hands and stepped away from the red head. He tossed the soiled cloth into the caldron. "Of course not. What a stupid thing to ask."

"Then why are your cheeks all red?"

"For the same reason yours are, I'd wager."

The two of them glared at each other, each assessing the other, wondering if they were both in fact coming to the same conclusion about their rosy cheeks. However, before either of them could say another word, Slughorn stepped in.

"Mr. Malfoy, why don't you and Mr. Weasley head down to the hospital wing. I think Mdm. Pomphrey should give you both a once over, just to be safe."

"Yes sir." Draco didn't appreciate the "knowing" smile that played on Slughorn's lips, but he was grateful to be able to leave the dungeon room and all the staring faces. Besides, his eyes were stinging something terrible and he was sure they were just as red and irritated looking as Weasley's hands.

All the way down to the hospital wing, neither Draco nor Ron said anything. They didn't even glance in the other's direction until they had to explain to Pomphrey what had happened.

After they each received a stern talking to, a quick mending up, and a dismissal, they slowly made their way back to the dungeons. Draco was still purposefully looking at the wall away from his companion, but Ron couldn't help but risk a few curious glances.

"Hey Malfoy."

"What?"

"What did you mean when you said you'd rather go out with me than Hermione?"

Draco couldn't keep himself from breaking the tension with a good natured laugh. "I think most people would prefer your company to Encyclopedia Brown's. Wouldn't you?"

"Prefer my own company?" He smiled, and chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess so. Sometimes."

"Besides, if I went with a girl people might get the wrong idea. Really I just want to go for the sake of going."

Listening to Draco prattle on, Ron felt a little stupid for thinking that Draco had asked him out. Maybe he had read too much out of how concerned Draco had been about his hands back in class too. Maybe Malfoy had actually come to think of Ron as a friend, though at the moment, Ron didn't know if he was more pleased that he and Draco had somehow become friends, or more disappointed that that's all they were.

"So did you really want to go with me, 'cause I got no one to go with."

At that Draco finally chanced a glance at Ron. "Sure, I'm sure It'll be more enjoyable that the date I'll be going on with Granger."

"You don't really think you'll be able to get her to go out with you do you?"

"No problem, just give me a few minutes alone with her and she'll be putty in my hands."

It was Ron's turn to laugh that time. "Yeah right."

"I'm serious."

"Alright then, Mr. Awesome, there she is." Classes were just getting out, and Ron managed to spot Hermione and Harry coming towards them among the crowd. "Go ask her."

"I said a few minutes _alone_ with her. Honestly, Weasley, don't you ever listen?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry, were you talking?"

"Ha, ha, ha. You're soooo funny. You know, after you graduate you should really think about trying out for the circus. I'm sure you'd be a shoe in as a clown."

Ron only grinned and waved at his oncoming friends. "Hey guys, oh, thanks."

Hermione smiled and handed Ron his things. "I wasn't sure if you'd make it back before class ended."

"So are your hands ok?"

"Yeah they're alright."

Still, Harry didn't seem satisfied with the answer and leaned in slightly while nodding in Malfoy's direction. "You sure?"

Ron smiled. He knew Harry was really asking if things were ok between him and Malfoy. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Good."

"So where are my things?" Malfoy looked between Ron's friends with a smile knowing perfectly well that there was no chance that either of them thought of grabbing his things for him.

"They're back in the classroom."

"Well then I suppose I ought to go and grab them." He walked off a short way before he stopped and slowly turned. "Granger, would you be good enough to walk with me? There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

Although a bit surprised, Hermione nodded and told the others that she'd catch up with them later.

Ron watched and wondered how on earth Draco was ever going to get Hermione Granger, the girl who in all the school probably hated him the most, to go out on a date with him.

"What was that about?"

Ron turned and smiled and walked with Harry to the dining hall for lunch while he explained the bet that he was still sure he was going to win.

"I can't believe the ferret's asking Hermione out on a date. There's no way she's going to say yes."

"That's what I think, but Malfoy seems so sure it's in the bag."

"What are you guys talking about?" Hermione just arrived. She sat down next to Ron and began filling her plate as though nothing interesting at all had happened.

Ron and Harry exchanged a smile. "We were speculating on what Malfoy had to say that was so important."

Hermione took a bite of her lunch before replying. "Well, if you must know. He apologized to me."

"What? What for?"

"For all the horrible things he ever said about me. He says he feels terrible about it now that he's seen what blind prejudice can do."

Harry scooted closer to insure he didn't miss a word. "He said that?"

Hermione never looked prouder. "Yes he did. Seemed very contrite and repentant to me. He even wants to make it up for it by taking me out to lunch next weekend at Honeydukes."

Ron couldn't believe his ears. "And you told him to bugger off, right?"

"Of course not! Honestly."

"But he's just messing with you. He's got to be. He doesn't regret anything, Hermione, he's a Malfoy. How could you be so stupid?"

Hermione slammed down her cup of pumpkin juice and glared down at him. "Oh, what do you know. And here I actually thought maybe you'd realized how much Mal-, Draco has changed after being all buddy buddy with him today in potions. I thought you were being good enough to give him a second chance." She stood, grabbing another sandwich half and the rest of her things. "I can't believe you could be so pig headed."

"But I'm telling you he's putting you on!"

"You wouldn't be able to say that if you'd seen the way he looked at me." And with that she was gone, hair bouncing furiously behind her as she stormed out of the Great Hall.


	5. Chapter 5

When Ron awoke the following Saturday, he felt absolutely miserable. With nothing to stare at except the lining of his bed curtain, his mind reeled as he reminded himself that this was the day that Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger were going to go to Hogsmead together. On a date. Together. Together on a date. And it was terrible.

He groaned and rolled over in his sheets. How could things have come to this? At least he could understand Draco's part in it all. The only reason he had asked Hermione out in the first place was because of their stupid bet. But Hermione? How Draco convinced her that he was repentant and contrite about his past was beyond Ron's ability to grasp. How could she have fallen for his lies so easily? How could she be so stupid?

"Hey Ron, you up?" The voice beyond the curtains sounded like John's, the groups' loyal Hufflepuff.

"Yeah." Truthfully, Ron had been up most of the night. He'd kept having dreams that Draco and Hermione were getting married or that Draco got Hermione pregnant on their date.

"Well then get your arse out of bed. Malfoy left over a half hour ago." Eric the snobbish Ravenclaw didn't sound patient.

"What?" Ron jumped out of his four-poster, scrambled to find a clean pair of trousers, and hurriedly pulled them on. "Alright. Harry said he'd meet up with us in the common room."

The three of them hurried down the staircase once Ron had finished dressing and flagged down Harry who was happily distracted by chatting up Ron's only sister. "Oh, hey guys." A slight blush graced his cheeks as he turned to face them. "Um, Ginny wanted to come with us."

"But, -"

"You don't need me to spy on Draco with you, do you? I mean, can't you do it on your own?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Ron wanted to say that it wouldn't be the same without Harry spying with him, but the pleading look Harry was giving him let him know that Harry would much rather spend the day making goo-goo eyes at Ginny than sneaking around with Ron. "Yeah, I guess." He lightly punched his friend in the shoulder and smiled before all five of them headed out of the portrait hole together.

Ron spent the walk to town lost in thought. In the old days, Harry would have dropped everything for a chance to go spying on Malfoy, but Ron supposed Harry had more important things on his mind now that the war was over. Harry was really getting serious about Ginny and Ron was sure a wedding wouldn't be far from graduation day. Not that he minded. Harry was practically already family as it was.

Hermione kept hinting about wanting to get more serious too, but Ron just wasn't ready to settle down just yet. Besides that, he wasn't even sure if he was interested in her all that much anymore. All she seemed to do lately was boss him around. Although, come to think of it, that's all she ever did.

"Ron."

Ron wasn't even sure if he had ever really been interested in her in the first place. Sure, she was smart and you could always count on her to be there when you needed her, but besides their friendship with Harry and their wild adventures, they'd never really had much in common.

"Ron."

Maybe she just reminded him of his mother. In truth Ron always pictured himself with someone like his mum; demanding, but affectionate and doting, and at times somewhat terrifying. Or maybe he had only gone after Hermione because she had liked him and it seemed like the logical thing to do, but then again…

"RON!"

Ron jumped, startled out of his musings. "Blimey, what'r you yelling at me for?"

"We've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes."

"Oh," he looked over at Harry who only shrugged and smiled. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

Eric folded his arms, clearly agitated. "Well stop thinking. We need to find Malfoy and Granger to make sure they actually go through with it."

John nodded. "Yeah. I'm not doing that git's homework without some kind of proof."

"Wait a minute." Ginny looked at the group of boys suspiciously."What exactly is going on here?"

"I'll explain on the way to Honeydukes." Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and led her away from her guilty looking brother. "Good luck."

Ron looked over at the remaining two and sighed. "Alright. I guess we should split up. Cover more ground."

Eric nodded and left without a word.

"Well, see you later then."

"Yeah." Ron and John split up and headed in different directions. Ron headed straight to the Hog's Head thinking that if Draco actually took Hermione out, he'd probably want to hide the fact.

Three hours later and Ron still hadn't found the odd couple, though he had run into his roommates and Harry four or five times. "I don't get it. Where could he possibly be?"

"Actually, Ginny thinks she saw them at Puddifoots."

"Puddifoots? You've got to be joking. What on earth would they be doing in that pink nightmare?"

Ginny glared. "I happen to like Puddifoots."

"That's only because you're a girl and you don't know any better."

"Well, most girls like Puddifoots Ron, and if you ever plan on getting a real girlfriend one day, you're going to have to learn to be a bit more romantic."

Suddenly, a drawling voice crept up behind Ron causing the hairs on his neck to stand on end. "Frankly I'm surprised you would like a place like Puddifoots, Weasley. After all, you always seemed the tomboy type. I mean, Ronald was always far more feminine than you ever we- OW! Did you just pinch me?"

Ron whirled around to find Hermione and Draco glaring at each other while Draco rubbed his arm.

"I thought you were trying to be a nicer person." Hermione stood with her hands on her hips and an accusing look.

"I said I was trying not to be a prejudiced bigot anymore. I never said anything about not giving the Weasleys a hard time."

"Well I hardly see how that's different. If you're ever going to change your image-."

"Oh shut up Granger. No one cares."

For a moment, all Hermione could muster was a look of shock and outrage. "Ronald Weasley!"

"Woah, what did I do?"

"How could you just stand there and let him insult me like that?"

"Don't you drag me into this. You're the one who went out with him. You deal with it."

Draco looked pleasantly surprised. "Well spoken, Weasley. Come, I've had enough of this female's company for one day. Why don't you walk with me back to the castle?"

Hermione's glare dared Ron to leave with Draco and leave her behind, but that only made the offer more tempting. "I'd love to." Ron nodded his goodbyes to Harry and Ginny. "See you two back at school." He had to jog a few steps to catch up with Malfoy who had started off without him. "So how was your date?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. Here I am, trying to do something nice,"

"And win a bet."

"Yes yes yes, and instead of thanking me she lectures me for half an hour on how 'a changing man should be more interested in the affairs of the less fortunate.' Please."

Draco's impersonation of Hermione was a bit more aristocratic than accurate, but it still made Ron chuckle.

"Did you know she's actually made a club to get all the house elves sacked? What a nutter."

"You mean SPEW? Yeah I knew about that. She means well by it, but she does have a tendency to take things a bit far."

"Whatever. The only thing enjoyable about the whole afternoon was getting the chance to talk about you."

Draco's conniving yet pleasant smile unnerved Ron. "Oh?"

"Oh yes. Seems you two haven't been getting on much lately. She thinks you might have eyes for someone else, though," he smiled almost knowingly, "she hasn't the foggiest who that could be."

Ron didn't know what Draco was talking about. He wasn't interested in any other girl, he wasn't interested in any girls right now, but Draco seemed so sure he knew exactly what was going on. Of course, Draco always acted like that. "So I guess you're going to enjoy next week."

"What do you mean?"

"Not having any homework to do."

"Ah, but don't you mean the next three weeks?"

"What, you don't think each of us are going to do a week by ourselves?"

"Of course I do, stupid. I would have had to do a week for each of you, therefore each of you will have to do a week for me."

Run slumped. "I guess that makes sense." Still, Ron wondered if the other two roommates would agree.

They made it across the rest of the open snow that covered the school grounds without saying much more to each other, but something Draco had said was bothering Ron. After they rounded a few corners on their way up to their dormitory, Ron stopped Draco in a deserted hallway. "Hey, um, what did you mean when you said you thought I was making eyes at somebody?"

"I never said that."

"You insinuated it."

At that, Draco couldn't help but indulge a small smile. "That I did."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Who do you think I'm eyeing?"

Draco's smile spread wider. "You mean, you don't know?"

Ron sighed and started to walk away. "Forget it." He stopped, however, and whirled back around after he felt a sharp pinch at his bottom. Sure enough, Draco was still the only other person in the hall, looking smug and amused.

"You're blushing."

"You pinched me."

"And you're blushing."

"I am not."

"Sure you are. Your cheeks are as red as the mark I just left on your arse."

Ron stared at Malfoy, completely dumbfounded. "What's wrong with you?"

"Why can't you just admit it Weasley?" He took a few steps towards the red head and pressed an accusing finger against Ron's chest. "You fancy me."

"What?" Ron took a few terrified steps back, but Draco just kept closing the distance. "No I don't."

"Yes you do. It's so obvious it's sad."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on Ron, you were so befuddled when you thought I was asking you out to the Slug Club party. One might even say it was charming, in its own way."

Ron frowned. "I wasn't befubled. I was startled."

"And you looked soooooo disappointed when you found out we would just be going as pals."

Ron frowned deeper. "We're not pals"

"Oh what a pity. Are we not?" Draco slinked forward and snaked his hand around the length on Ron's school tie. "Then perhaps you wouldn't mind," he leaned in, "telling me what we _are_."

Before Ron even had the time to think about what he was doing, his fist shot out from his right side and smashed straight into the Draco's pointed little nose. "You stupid git! What the hell do you think you're playing at?"

Ron got his answer in the form of Draco body slamming him down on the floor followed by an equally aggressive hit to the face. "Bastard!"

"Pervert!"

It had been a long time since the two opponents had been in a good old fashioned fist fight together, and each seemed to miss it terribly as they put in a maximum effort to make up for lost time. Still, Ron was a good deal stronger than the pampered Malfoy, and he managed to pin him down after a harsh few minutes. He held his arms firmly against the cold stone floor, their hands locked above Draco's crown of platinum hair, and Ron took a moment to catch his breath.

Draco was also breathing heavy, exhausted from the fight. His cheeks were bruised and rosy from battle and his nose was bloody, but his eyes were still clear and piercing. "Well," he could barely get out his words through his heavy breaths, "what are you waiting for?"

Ron stared down at the man beneath him, his heart pounding from more than just fatigue. "I don't know."

Draco's eyes narrowed as he dared Ron to make the next move. "Then do something."

Ron took in a long breath and let it back out slowly. His grip on Draco's wrists tightened only slightly as he gathered up his strength. "If you say so."

He wasn't sure what he had really expected Draco to do when their lips finally met, but somehow he was still surprised when Draco relaxed beneath him and gently returned his kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

Ron still went to the same classes, and still slept in the same bed, but the air was lighter than before and the usually drafty halls were warmer and brighter than ever. He didn't even mind having to do Malfoy's homework all week after losing their bet. It gave him and Draco more time together away from the others; more time to discover new sensations. They never spoke about what was going on between them, but their next encounter was always somewhere in the back of their minds. Ron didn't know exactly why he kept finding secret little moments to sneak away with Draco, he only knew that he enjoyed it immensely.

After another week went by, things started progressing faster than Ron had expected. Not that he had ever expected to kiss Malfoy, but Ron was slowly becoming aware that Malfoy seemed interested in a great deal more than snogging. Even though he didn't really mind Draco's increasing affections, it was, however, starting to make him rather nervous. He'd never gotten this heavy with anyone before, and Draco didn't seem like he was going to be putting on the breaks anytime soon.

()()()

Ron's mind was deep in thought as he walked down the stairs to the Everlux common room. Unlike the rest of the castle which was dark and overcast, the common room was filled with sunshine. It was as though the room had a sun of its very own that rose and set each day. Ron hadn't noticed this trick of the light until the weather had really changed for the worse, but whatever it was like outside, it was always spring for the Everlux house.

Draco had headed out before Ron had even finished getting changed which usually meant that he was laying in wait somewhere along Ron's path to breakfast. Sure enough, as Ron rounded another corner, a pale hand shot out from behind a tapestry and sucked Ron into the darkness of one of the castle's many secret tunnels.

Instantly lips were on his and hands roamed freely over his body. The intensity of the sudden embrace lasted only for a few heart pounding moments before Draco sighed hot air over Ron's ear. "I want you to stay."

It took a moment for Ron to register that Malfoy had just spoken. "What do you mean?"

"John and Eric are both leaving for the holidays," he leaned back to look into Ron's startlingly blue eyes, "and I want you to stay."

Ron blinked, dazed and a bit confused.

Draco rolled his eyes, but didn't quite manage to hide his smile. "We'll have the room to ourselves."

"Yeah, so? … Oh." Realization quickly dawned on his face, as Draco replied simply with a conniving smile. "Oooooooooooooh." Draco wanted them to have the room alone for … for…

Draco's smile turned more coy as he playfully reached out to stroke Ron's red and gold tie. "So?"

"So?" Ron, voice suddenly cracking, hurriedly side-stepped away and flattened his tie. "So, um, hey, we'd better get going to breakfast or they're going to eat everything." His hands were trembling terribly and he felt dizzy from all the blood draining away from his brain. "So …" He tried to swallow, but the all the spit had somehow vanished from his mouth. He glance up to see a very perturbed looking Malfoy standing, arms folded and glaring from the darkness opposite him.

Ron just couldn't think of anything else to say, so he decided not to bother trying. Instead, he panicked and made a break for it out the tapestry that shielded them from the open hall. Unfortunately, he ran right into a small herd of first years who screamed in surprise from being bombarded by the giant eighth year.

Ron screamed back just as terrified.

()()()

The next three weeks were an absolute nightmare for Ron. Every moment was filed with dread that Draco might try to get them alone together again. Not that he was afraid of Draco, he just didn't know what he wanted to do about him. It was Malfoy after all, Malfoy! His blood enemy, his lifelong nemesis. They shouldn't be doing _anything_ together let alone plotting to sleep with each other. What would he say? 'No, Malfoy, I think we should go back to hating each other,' or 'Yes, darling, let us make wild passionate love together and damn the world.' Either way, he knew something horrible was going to happen to him no matter what his decision was. He couldn't sleep, he hardly ate, and anyone who knew Ron well knew something was wrong when he barely touched his food.

"Would you just tell us what's bothering you already?"

"Nothing's bothering me." Ron snapped as he glared up at Hermione who, up until now, had refused to speak to him for what happened more than a fortnight ago in Hogsmead.

Hermione slammed her copy of the Daily Prophet down on the Gryffindor table. "Don't lie to me. For Merlin's sake Ron, it's painfully obvious that something's bothering you."

"So what? What do you care?"

She glared back at the red head just as venomously. "I care because you're still my friend."

Harry leaned in finally deciding to interject before another fight between his two best friends erupted. "What she means is that we've been worried about you. Why not tell us what's up? Maybe we can help?"

Hermione sat up straighter with an air of superiority. "That's right. Just because you're not in Gryffindor anymore, doesn't mean you can't still come to us when you're in trouble."

Ron smiled bitterly and shook his head. This was one problem Ron definitely did NOT need Harry or Hermione to help him with. "I'm not it trouble… yet. Look, don't worry about it. I can deal with this on my own."

Hermione looked unconvinced. "Well you certainly aren't acting like it, moping around all the time, and you haven't even touched your food."

Ron's insides were too tied in knots to eat, but even so, why was it any of their business anyway. Why were they both looking at him expectantly like it was his duty to inform them about his would be sex life? And why did Hermione have to sound so smug about it! In a sudden fury, Ron slammed his hands down into his omelet, hitting it repeatedly for a few satisfying moments. "There! I've touched it! You happy now!"

Shiny eyed and shocked, Hermione didn't dare say anything more.

Ron only slightly regretted his latest outburst before getting up and stomping away from the table. He didn't want to be there when Hermione actually started crying. He knew things were pretty fragile between them right now and that he shouldn't have taken his frustrations out on her, but Ron was in no mood to care at the moment.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ron spotted Draco standing and heading for the exit as well, but this only inspired Ron to walk faster. He wasn't sure were exactly he was going, but he supposed it didn't really matter. As long as it was far away from anyone who wanted answers from him, it was good enough for him.

He, however, had underestimated the tenacity of Draco Malfoy. After walking around the castle for at least half an hour with no destination yet in sight, Draco was still right behind him. Of course, Ron had a few yards lead on Malfoy, and with his long legs, Ron was slowly increasing that distance. He decided to head outside. Draco, being as pampered as he is was, was sure to give in to the discomfort of the cold and slush before Ron did.

Draco, however, had no intention of letting Ron continue their game of follow the leader forever. Once the two of them had walked into a clear area of tall castle wall where no windows could see, Draco drew his wand and pointed it resolutely at the back of Ronald Weasley's ginger locks.

"Petrificus totalus!"

Ron's arms and legs snapped together instantly causing him to fall flat on his face into the snow. He couldn't believe he had led himself into a trap. He should have stayed inside were there were witnesses.

Draco stalked up slowly to meet Ron. He stood there for what seemed like ages before digging a boot into Ron's side and flipping him over.

Ron looked livid, but he couldn't move or tell Draco off for cursing a man in the back like a coward.

Strangely enough, Draco seemed to know exactly was Ron was thinking, because for no other apparent reason, he smiled. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small silver case from which he pulled what looked like a black stick. It was only when Draco placed an end of the stick in his mouth that Ron figured out what it probably was.

"Surprised?" Draco chuckled to himself before taking in a drag and the end of the stick lit up on its own. When he exhaled and long stream of bright blue smoke curled luxuriously through the air. Draco's smile broadened as his demeanor softened and relaxed.

He straddled Ron enjoying the mixed look of anger and concerned confusion. After another long drag, he let out a second stream of smoke right into Ron's face.

Ron tried not to breath in the mysterious blue smoke, but it wasn't as foul smelling as he expected. It actually smelled rather nice.

"Don't worry, it's not poisonous." He raised his wand, and much to Ron's surprise, released him from the spell.

Ron was tempted to punch the smug smile right off of Draco's pretty face, but instead he settled for raising himself onto his elbows. "What do you want?"

Draco somehow grinned even wider. "Oh, I think you know what I want."

Ron flushed immediately, but successfully maintained his heated glare.

"Have you made up your mind yet about staying over the holidays?"

He looked away, he had to. It had been three weeks, and Draco was looking far too delectable. "No." He glanced up at Malfoy. "No I haven't. It's just, it's a big step."

"I know." He took another drag of smoke and blew out another cloud of blue before leaning down to face level with Ron. "Maybe I can convince you." He gave him a chaste little kiss and slid the thin black stick between Ron's lips.

"What is it?" Ron didn't think the smoke would hurt him as Draco seemed to enjoy it, but he still wasn't entirely sure he could trust Draco.

"It'll help you relax"

Ron didn't take it out of his mouth, be he didn't feel comfortable smoking it either. However, as he watched Malfoy slowly crawl down his body and move his hands to Ron's belt, the sudden inhalation of smoke wasn't entirely purposeful. He turned his head and let out a series of coughs, not used to smoke invading his lungs. When he looked back, eyes watering and throat sore, he noticed his belt had been completely undone.

Draco peeked up at him, watching his face as he slowly undid Ron's trousers.

All Ron could do was watch in return. He couldn't move, frozen with anticipation. At that moment, there wasn't anything confusing about what they were doing. No hesitation or second guessing, there was only him and Draco and what was about to pass between them. And when Malfoy's mouth finally lowered to begin its work, Ron's head and eyes rolled back.

His head was a hurricane of thoughts and ecstasy. It was marvelous and new and frightening. There was no way to know if someone was suddenly going to appear around a corner and discover them. No certainty that Ron would be able to keep so quiet. Would someone be able to hear the way his heart was pounding against his ribs, or the delicious little noises Draco was making?

Then, all of a sudden, the little noises stopped and Draco looked up at Ron again, eyes hazy and unfocussed. He didn't say anything, but he never broke eye contact with the man beneath him as he slowly, very slowly, crawled back up Ron's body and raised himself onto his knees. Ron didn't know when Draco's pants had also been undone, but it was too good a sight for him to care. Pale and flushed, exposed and ready, Draco positioned himself above Ron, staring down at him, waiting for some sign that it was alright for him to take whatever they had to the final stage.

Ron was only slightly aware that he nodded, his mind was too fuzzy, but Draco had no difficulty understanding Ron's sluggish movements as a desperate and definite,

YES.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry about the long wait. Hope the long chapter makes up for it. :)

* * *

><p>The next morning was filled with the bustle of a castle full of teenagers preparing to go home for the holidays. Ron, however, slept peacefully through the din of panicked packing. He had no reason to get up. He didn't need to pack, he wasn't going anywhere this Christmas. He was staying right where he was, in his bed with Draco to keep him company… and preoccupied.<p>

The aristocrat in the neighboring bed, on the other hand, was a light sleeper, and the noise of Ron's snoring and the others bustling around woke him up more than an hour ago. Giving up on the idea of falling back to sleep, Draco pulled back the curtains of his four poster and let his thin, porcelain legs slip out of his covers.

He rubbed his eyes wearily. "Would it be possible for you people to be any louder?"

Eric slammed his chest shut. "Don't complain, Malfoy. Besides, shouldn't you be up and getting ready with the rest of us?"

"No."

"You're not going home this year?" John, having just packed his best pair of shoes, looked up from his final preparations.

Feeling tired and aggravated now, Draco rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "I'll be home for Christmas, but I'm not leaving with the rest of you people."

"You people?"

"Why not?"

"Because I just want some peace and quiet, and I'm not going to get much of that at home."

Eric glared at Malfoy even more heatedly than normal before leaving the room and heading down to breakfast.

"Why's that?"

Draco just grunted in response to John's continuing inquiries. During the week before the annual Malfoy Christmas party, his father was planning on throwing a few charity galas to help boost their good name. Draco didn't want to be there for them. After all, he had better things to do. He stood, completely ignoring John's question, and threw his pillow into Weasley's bed. "You're snoring."

Ron woke up with a start. Recognizing the plush pillow immediately, as it was thrown at him often, he threw open his hangings and beamed the pillow back at Malfoy who ducked without even having to look.

"Good morning."

Ron glared and smiled at him. "Wha'd you wake me up for?"

Draco turned while finishing the top buttons of his shirt. "I thought you'd want to see your friends off."

Ron thought about that and stretched the sleep out of his muscles. "Yea I guess I could do that." He wanted to see them before they left, but he had been a bit worried about having to tell them he wasn't going with them.

"You not going home either?" All finished with his packing, John straightened up and clamped his trunk shut.

"Naw, thought I'd stay here, see what trouble I can get into this year."

John laughed. "Well, hopefully not too much. See you down stairs."

After the Hufflepuff disappeared and the door closed behind him, Ron smiled and snuck up behind Draco, draping his arms around his waist. "Good morning."

Draco couldn't keep himself from smiling. "Morning… lover."

Ron squeezed lighter and laughed into Draco's neck. He took in a long breath of Draco's sweet aroma before letting out a sigh of contentment.

Draco raised and rested his arms up behind him, around the taller man' shoulders. "Looking forward to this week?"

"Mm hmmm." He ran his fingers over Draco's smooth stomach and pressed himself closer. "You know, the train doesn't leave for another hour or so."

Draco leaned into Ron's caresses. "Is that so?"

Head full of thoughts about the upcoming week, Ron began to let his hands wonder. "We could skip breakfast… stay up here for a while."

Draco took in a quick breath and let his head fall back. "We could do that."

()()()

Only ten minutes before the train was scheduled to leave, Ron ran top speed down to the Hogsmead station. "Harry! Harry!"

Seamus, who was leaning out his window to say goodbye to some friends, pointed towards the front of the train. "Hey Ron, he's a few cars down that way!"

"Thanks! Happy Christmas!" Ron banged on the windows on a number of cars, asking each if Harry Potter was present, before he finally found the right one.

"Ron, there you are! Hurry up and get on! The trains about to leave."

Ron just grinned and shook his head excitedly. "I'm not going!"

Hermione popped out of the window. "You're staying? What ever for!?" Her look of shock and impending need to convince him to come made Ron grateful that he had waited a while before saying his goodbyes.

He looked at Harry, "I'll tell you when you come back. I promise." Just then the train whistle cut off any protests Granger may have had. "It's gonna be big news. Big news!"

Harry grinned and leaned out farther as the train started pulling away. "I look forward to it!"

Ron ran to keep up and waved. "It's gonna be big!"

Hermione shook her head in frustration. "Then why can't you tell us now!"

"I can't, Happy Christmas!" Ron thought he heard them yelling their happy Christmas' back at him over the second train whistle. He stopped running once he reached the end of the platform, but he continued to wave as long as he could see his friends' hands waving back in the distance.

()()()

The first few days of their first week together was filled with nothing but good food and wonton sex. It was tiring, but well worth the effort. They slept in the same bed at night despite Ron's snoring and Draco's violent limbs. They got on better than ever without anyone else there to act up for. It was just the two of them in the Everlux wing of the castle, and it was absolute bliss. They did everything together, got into snow fights, took hand held walks by the lake, and enjoyed private evenings curled up together in front of the common room fire.

The only down side was that, every night, Ron would stir and realize Draco wasn't laying beside him. He would open his eyes to find the pale figure of Malfoy sitting on the edge of the bed, blue smoke curling around him in the darkness as he sat silently staring into the darkness. Ron never let on that he was awake during these times, but it began to worry him more and more.

It wasn't until Friday that Draco told Ron he was leaving to see his parents.

"Well, how the hell are you gonna pull that off?"

Draco smiled. "Slughorn offered to let me use his fireplace. Maybe you should go see your folks too? Stay with them for Christmas?" He sighed and let out a long puff of blue smoke and handed the drug to Ron.

Ron accepted. "How long are you staying with them?"

"Just the two days."

Ron took in a long drag and let it out slowly. "I guess I could surprise them, they'd probably be happy to see me." He handed the cigarette back to Draco.

"Probably." He settled further into Ron's arm and gazed at the fire before them. It was the only light in the common room where they sat on the floor in front of the sofa, and its blinding light was hypnotic.

Ron tucked his finger tips into Draco's shirt and lightly traced circles over his hip and stomach. "You gonna miss me?"

Draco smiled. "Oh I don't think so. I'll be so busy with the Christmas party and opening all my gifts I just don't think I'll have a moment to spare a thought. Ouch!" He smiled, but rubbed the spot where Ron had just pinched him.

"Liar."

"Maybe. What about you, are you going to miss me?"

"Well I'll definitely miss the sex."

Draco hit Ron lightly before standing up. "You want anymore to drink?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

Draco walked over to the little side table and filled their glasses with spiced bourbon.

"Hey Draco."

"Yes?" He handed Ron his glass.

"What number am I?"

He laughed, "What?"

"How many people have you, you know, before me?"

"Ah." He sipped at his drink. "There was one fellow before you, but that's it."

"No girls?"

Draco smiled. "No."

"I bet Pansy was disappointed."

"Ugh, don't even remind me." He kicked one of Ron's legs out of the way and settled down in front of him.

Ron pulled him back and wrapped his arms around him. "So who was he? Anybody I know?"

"No, no one you know."

Ron waited for further clarification, but after a few moments when none came, he decided not to press any further. Perhaps Draco didn't want to talk about past lovers, but then Draco was a difficult person to read.

"His name was Charlie. I met him during the war." He smiled then. "He was a wild sort of fellow, the sort that brought to mind romantic stories of pirates tamed by the love of a woman. Or rather, a terrified young man. He was filthy and crass, vulgar, always smelled of blood and earth, and tasted like salted gin."

Ron frowned. He didn't like hearing Draco talk about someone else so fondly, but he had asked, and it was all in the past. He was Draco's man now, and that was all that mattered. "Why'd you break up?"

Draco was quiet for a long time again, smoking a few more drags of their cigarette before handing it back to Ron. He leaned forward to drain the last of his bourbon before settling back into the comfort of Ron's arms. "He died."

Ron tried not to, but he could feel himself tense up.

"Not that it would have worked out anyway. He was too much trouble, and a drunk." He laughed then. "He had a temper too. If we weren't making up we were fighting. I didn't mind too much though, I mean, he got it as good as he gave, and I had potions to clear up the bruises." He paused and held Ron's arms and sighed. "He never did anything about his bruises though, and sometimes when we were stuck in some long, arduous meeting, he would touch one of them and smile, and I would know he was thinking about me."

In that moment, it was as if Ron was meeting the real Draco for the first time. Despite their time together, he had never known Draco was capable of being so sentimental. That he could treasure something so simple and charming.

"But then I had to leave for school. It's amazing to think that it only lasted for a summer, that I could have come to … care for him so much in such a sort amount of time."

"How did he die?" Ron knew it was a risk to ask, but his curiosity won out.

"In the war, during the battle here."

"He was a Death Eater?"

"No, he was one of Greyback's men."

"A werewolf?" Ron was shocked. The thought of Draco hiding a gay relationship with a werewolf while being surrounded by people who might have killed him for it was almost too much to imagine.

"Is it that so surprising?"

"Yes."

Draco smiled and intertwined his fingers with Ron's. "I guess it would be."

Ron lightly ran his thumb over Malfoy's fingers. The sound of the crackling fire echoing around them seemed comforting at first, like a soft noise to fill the following silence. But as both of them sat remembering those they had lost, it began to parallel the snaps and sizzles of spells that had blasted all around them in the chaos of the final battle.

"I tried to find him, after Crabbe… I left Goyle tucked away in the old DA room. In the same room… but somehow different… I didn't find Charlie until the end. He was just laying there in the Great Hall with the rest of the gathered dead. Just laying there with no one to morn him. No one to fix his hair or tend to his clothes. How could I? … I couldn't even cry for him … couldn't let anyone know…"

All Ron could do was to hold Draco close when he finally lost his composure. He put the cigarette out in his still full glass of whiskey, and held him, but Draco didn't allow himself to cry for long. He stayed curled up in the other man's lap long after he had calmed himself though, and stayed wrapped safely in Ron's arms until he fell asleep.

And as the fire died down to nothing but glowing embers Ron rested his head on Draco's platinum crown and wondered why it had never occurred to him before. That the enemy, those he had fought so hard to see fall that night, might have also felt the pain of losing someone they loved.

()()()

The following morning, Draco acted as if the night's conversation and his momentary break down had never happened, so Ron did the same. They said their goodbyes, and then said them again in a much less naked or passionate, and a much more polite sort of way in Slughorn's office.

Once Draco disappeared with his things behind a flash of emerald flames, Ron took his share of flu powder and stepped into the hearth. "See you on Monday."

Slughorn beamed back at him. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas." He threw down the powder, "The Burrow!" and at once he was off through a haze of living rooms until he arrived at his own. "Surprise!"

Everyone jumped up to welcome Ron in for Christmas breakfast. Everyone, of course, except Fred, but Percy did his best to keep everyone in good spirits and busy with his jokes and pranking with George.

Luckily, Hermione, who thought Ron was still at school, never came by the Burrow for the holiday. Her owl, however, knew exactly where Ron was and delivered his gift without difficulty. He had just finished unwrapping the contents exposing the 'Auror's Compendium: A Complete Study Guide' when Harry's voice sounded from the doorway.

"What are you doing here?"

Ron beamed up at him and stood, joined him at the doorway, and pulled him into a crushing hug. "I'm so glad to see you! You're never going to guess what I've been up to." He kept one arm around him and led him into the room.

"Don't you want your gift first?"

"Oh yeah, where is it?"

Harry laughed and pointed out the window where his new owl was soaring towards them over the Weasley farm. "I thought you were going to be at the school."

"So did I," he opened the window for the owl to enter, "I only found out yesterday that Slughorn was letting people use the flu network to see their families for the weekend." He took the parcel from the spotted barn own and fetched some treats from a nearby cupboard. "I sent all my gifts by owl too."

"Yeah, I got mine this morning. Thanks by the way, it was perfect."

"I know." He laughed again, feeling so happy to be able to see Harry on Christmas. "Did you get an Auror's Compendium-"

"From Hermione? Yeah." He smiled and shrugged. "It should at least help with the exams."

Ron shrugged and finished opening the box. Inside was a locket, a beautiful little trinket except for the large gash cutting diagonally across the 'S' engraved on the front. Ron carefully lifted it out of its box and ran his fingers over locket's scar. "Slytherin's locket."

"I convinced Kingsley to let us keep them. I gave Hermione Hufflepuff's cup. I kept Riddle's Diary."

"Wow… Harry, thanks." He looped the chain around his neck and gazed down at his treasure. "This thing was such a huge pain in the ass."

Harry burst out laughing and Ron couldn't stop himself from joining in.

"Thanks Harry, this really means a lot."

Harry shrugged and smiled. "Happy Christmas. Now, what's this big deal you were going to tell me about?"

"Oh," Ron stood, "That. Well, before I even start," he ran a hand through his hair trying to think of the best way to break the news to his best friend that he was, in the most literal sense, sleeping with the enemy. "I think it would be best if you sat down for this one, mate."


End file.
